Disney+ Renews “Rivals” For A Third Season
Following the recent release of the first half of the second season of the British original series, “Rivals”, Disney has announced that it has renewed the show for a third season, with a further twelve episodes.
The series, based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s iconic Rutshire Chronicles novels and produced by Happy Prince (part of ITV Studios), has continued to captivate audiences with its sharp wit, high-stakes drama and richly drawn characters.
As the dust settles post the scandalous revelations in Season Two, we see the stakes become higher and the alliances more fragile, with nothing staying buried for long. New romances blossom, old flames rekindle, and shocking secrets will be spilt in this third series, which takes everyone’s favourite rivalries to the next level. In a world of power, passion and betrayal, everyone has something to lose.
The show has become Disney+’s biggest EMEA original premiere in the UK and Ireland, winning International Emmys and BAFTA awards.
Lee Mason, Vice-President, Scripted, Disney+ EMEA, said in a statement regarding the renewal:
“The phenomenal response to Rivals is a credit to the bold, irreverent and endlessly entertaining world created by Dame Jilly Cooper, our cast, creative team and production partners at Happy Prince. We’re delighted to be bringing audiences a third season on Disney+/Hulu. Expect more ambition, more romance, more rivalries and, of course, more scandal as we return to Rutshire for another irresistible chapter.”
Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Chief Creative Officer of Happy Prince and Alexander Lamb, Creative Director of Happy Prince added:
“We’ve been delighted and overwhelmed by the audience’s response to season two of Rivals – testament to the hard work from everyone working on Rivals both on and off screen. Our one sadness is that Jilly didn’t get to witness the love for season two. But she’s still very much with us in sprit and would be so delighted that season three has been green lit. We’re so thrilled to continue to work with Disney as we dive deeper into the Rutshire Chronicles and expand the Cooperverse even further.”
Season Three of “Rivals”, made by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios will be executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins (‘A Very English Scandal’, ‘Holding’, ‘EastEnders’), Alexander Lamb (‘Ackley Bridge’, ‘The Bay’, ‘We Hunt Together’), Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade (‘The Riot Club’) and Felicity Blunt. “Rivals” is based on the novel of the same name, part of Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles. The series was commissioned by VP Scripted Content for Disney+ EMEA, Lee Mason.
All episodes of Season 1 and the first six episodes of Season 2 are available to stream now on Disney+ around the world and on Hulu/Hulu On Disney+ in the United States. The next batch of six episodes is set to be released in November.
Roger’s Take: As a fan of “Rivals”, I’m extremely happy to see the show is coming back for another season and highlights how a fantastic British series can find a global audience. “Rivals” might not sound like the ideal Disney+ Original, but it’s easily the best and most successful original to come out of the UK so far.
Are you looking forward to the return of “Rivals”? Let me know on social media!
